A Weekend in the Winter
by My-Idol-You-Chan
Summary: You takes Riko to a skiing resort for the first time. The two get to enjoy a weekend of fun, and maybe some less fun, experiences.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Waaaaahhh! It's so pretty!" Riko exclaimed upon their arrival. It was a bright and clear day in the middle of winter when Riko and You arrived at the mountain resort. They were there for a skiing trip, just the two of them. All the members of Aquors were originally going to come, but since it was winter break, everyone else had scheduling conflicts. Though she would never say it, You was really glad it turned out this way; when she first heard the news, the prospect of a weekend alone with Riko made her face turn a dark shade of red.

"Isn't it? My dad takes me up here every few years but he thought I should bring my friends with me this time." You happily chimed back, a smile beaming on her face. Riko returned the smile, but suddenly her gaze became more somber. "I'm sorry that it could only be the two of us, I'm sure it would have been more fun for you with everyone else here…" Deep down, Riko really wasn't sorry, she was also happy it was only the two of them, but she thought that You would be disappointed. Riko always treasured the time she got to spend with You but constantly worried that she was just an annoyance, that You would rather be doing something else. You, panicking at the sudden mood shift, did the first thing that came to her mind, grabbing Riko's hands and making the two of them face each other. The shock of the motion roused Riko from her stupor and when she looked up, she saw that pair of strong, ocean blue eyes staring right at her. "Riko-chan, we're gonna have an awesome time, don't worry! I'm glad you're with me!" You exclaimed, trying to sound as confident as she could. A moment passed as the two remained in that position, when You suddenly realized what she'd just done. Blushing profusely, she released her grip on the other girl's hands and began to rub the back of her neck while looking away, trying to somehow hide her embarrassment. Her attention was drawn to the sound of laughter from behind her, and when she turned around she saw Riko tearing up from laughter and smiling. It was a beautiful sight: red hair blowing in the wind, a picturesque forest behind her, she wished she could save the image forever. You began to laugh along with her and the two stood there for a minute to regain their composure. Having finally settled back down, Riko was able to respond. "Of course, you're right, let's enjoy the time we have here. Shall we go look at our room?" "Yousoro!"

"T-this is all… for us?" "Well… ehehe…" The room, calling it that would be an understatement, which they would be staying in was enormous. A large fireplace with couches around it, a second floor, a whole kitchen, it seemed more like a cabin than a room. "My dad's friends with the manager, so when it was initially going to be all nine of us, he gave us the biggest room. I guess he forgot to tell him that it'd only be two…" You said, slightly embarrassed at how overboard all of this seemed (she actually didn't tell her dad, she wanted to have the big space only for themselves). She was afraid Riko might be put off by the thought of the two of them in such a big space, but she seemed to be enjoying it actually. You, since she'd seen the room before, flopped down on one of the couches while Riko continued looking around.

By this point, it was beginning to get dark outside and still the pair had not eaten yet, a fact which was highlighted by Riko's stomach grumbling (You thought this was hilarious). "So, what should we do to eat? You're much more familiar with this place than I am." Riko finally said, still slightly pouting from You's teasing. "Well, there's the lodge restaurant but I don't think they let monsters in!" You emphasized the word monsters and snickered while pointing toward Riko's stomach. She was not amused. "Ehehehe, hmmm, let's see what we have in the kitchen." You strode across the floor and made her way to the cabinets. What awaited inside was, well, almost nothing, just some random snack food that the lodge provides. However, the food in there gave You a wonderfully mischievous idea. "Riko-chan!" You shouted across the room, slamming her hands on the countertop for added effect. "Y-yes?!" Riko jumped a bit at the sudden commotion. "We're skippin dinner and going straight to dessert! Go to the bedroom and get some blankets and coat hangers!" "What can we do with-" Riko began, until she saw how determined and excited You looked; she looked like a child who'd just shown her parents something she'd found. "Ok!" Riko said as she headed towards her newfound objective, infected by You's enthusiasm. You gave her classic salute and shot her brightest smile, "Don't worry, it'll be a blast!"

After some searching, Riko managed to find what she was looking for. The only blankets she could find were heavy quilts, so she struggled a bit trying to get everything out of the room. After what felt like ages, she finally cleared the bottom step and brought everything to the couch area. When she arrived, she was still thoroughly confused as to what they were going to eat. You, who had previously been sitting hunched over the fireplace, suddenly jumped up, turned around, and exclaimed, "Welcome… to tonight's special feast! We hope you enjoy, yousoro!" A small box, a white bag, a roaring fireplace, and what looked like a chocolate bar. Whatever Riko was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. "W-what is all this..?" Riko tentatively asked, very bewildered by this sudden turn of events. "Riko-chan's never had s'mores before?" You replied, tilting her head in surprise. When Riko responded by shaking her head, You almost seemed to get more excited. _I get to show something new to Riko-chan, this is the best!_ You thought to herself, but quickly got these thoughts in check so she didn't freak out too much from the rush. Grabbing the mass of items from Riko (she was amazed that You could handle them so easily), You placed the blankets on the floor in front of the fire and began to unfurl one of the hangers. "Ah, is it really ok to be messing with those like that? They aren't ours so we shouldn't break them…" Riko was nervous what the management might think when they saw the broken hangers, but You seemed to not have a care in the world about that. "Don't worry about it! Like I said, my dad's friends with management, I'm sure they won't mind." She said with a positively carefree attitude. Riko conceded a sigh, but couldn't help but smile at it all; You seemed so into what she was doing, Riko was truly glad that she could be a part of it.

In a quick series of motions You had precisely crafted a bounty of tiny, sweet sandwiches, save the for the marshmallow filling. She deftly put the marshmallows onto a hanger, which had been fashioned into a makeshift fork, and began holding them over the fire to roast, humming an Aqours song as the long task began. Riko, who'd never even been camping before, was transfixed by the series of events. She sat there admiring the scene and took in everything: the snapping of the logs as they burned, the radiating warmth the fire made, and of course You as she sat there happily humming. Riko hadn't noticed until now, but while she was getting the blankets, You had put on her glasses; she knew that You was pretty, but the sight of You's features highlighted by the fire made her heart race a little. _I wonder if she's ever thought I was pretty,_ Riko wondered, but quickly sent that thought away. _No... I mean I am pretty , but I doubt she'd look at me that way, and even if she did, she has Chika, why would she choose me_?

Coming back to reality, Riko realized that, unsurprisingly, it was slightly cold in the mountains and she was feeling the chill a bit, but the blankets were by You. She could either (somehow) drag one onto the couch or she could go sit next to You. She didn't think she had the courage to be so bold as to- "They're done!" You suddenly exclaimed, pulling the hanger from the flames. "Riko-chan, come down here and help me, this is the best part!" She motioned to a spot on the blankets right next to her. Her mental dilemma solved for her, Riko hesitantly made her way over, her heart still pounding. When she sat down, You put a set of graham crackers in each of her hands , "When I tell you, sandwich the two together, ok?" "O-ok..." You grabbed the makeshift fork again and placed one one of the marshmallows onto a set of crackers. "Now!" Riko brought her hands together and You swiftly pulled the hanger away, leaving behind a small marshmallow trail. They repeated the exercise a few times and were now left with set of tiny, sweet, this time complete, sandwiches. Still riding the slight euphoria of the moment and not thinking about what she was doing (again), You grabbed one of the sweets and held it towards Riko saying, "You gotta try one now, open up!"

A moment to passed in silence. You, once again realizing that she'd done something terribly embarrassing, turned a shade of red. She wondered why she kept doing such strange things when it came to Riko. She was about to try and cover her remark with a joke but, shockingly, Riko closed her eyes and opened her mouth (You was very glad that she closed her eyes, it meant that she couldn't see how embarrassed You was). From Riko's perspective, the comment had almost paralyzed her. Her heart felt like it was flying out of her chest and could barely think straight. With her mind blank, Riko chose to close off the world by closing her eyes and listening to You, hoping that somehow the world would right itself. Another moment passed in silence between the two. The next sensation Riko felt was a warm, sweet food in her mouth. She took a bite and experienced one of the best tasting foods she'd ever had. With her mind clear, Riko finally dared to open her eyes and was met with the sight of You sitting expectantly, wanting to know how it was. Realizing she hadn't made any response she quickly smiled, a truly genuine smile. "This is amazing! I've never had anything like this before, not even in Tokyo." At this response You began beaming, obviously proud of her handiwork. "Isn't it? My dad always makes them when we come here, but this was the first time I made them by myself." The two spent a long while enjoying the rest of the treats, talking about everything from You's dad to Riko's time in Tokyo, and slowly the night drifted on. When all of them were finally gone, a peaceful quiet lay upon the room, accompanied by the occasional crackle from the fire.

Eventually, You began moving to put away the ingredients of their ad lib meal, saying, "We've got a busy day tomorrow, so I guess we should head to bed soon huh?" Riko was quiet a moment. The atmosphere, You's company, she was enjoying it all so much that she wished it could go on for even a moment longer. Though she would definitely not consider herself a brave person, something about the night had given Riko an uncharacteristic resolve that was telling her to follow her heart. Steeling herself for the worst, she grabbed at the tail of You's green pajama shirt, an action met with a questioning glance from the bespectacled girl. "A-actually, You-chan..." Riko cast her gaze down, "c-could you show me h-how to make some of those sweets?" Though she couldn't see it, the request brought a beautiful smile to You's face, she was ecstatic that she could spend more time with Riko. As You turned around to replace the ingredients onto the blanket, Riko released her grip and nervously looked to see the girl's reaction. Upon seeing the smile still stuck to You's face, all of Riko's worries melted away, she felt as if there was nothing else she would ever need to worry about. You explained the basics and showed Riko how everything worked, and though there were many mistakes made, the two had, as You said earlier, a blast. During the time of the lesson the moon had risen higher and, if they wanted to have some semblance of energy for the coming activities, needed to get to sleep. Rather than opting to haul the mass of blankets back up to the bedroom, they decided that fashioning the quilts into makeshift futons was an easier, and probably warmer, option. With the energy of the evening finally coming to a close and everything cleaned up, the two lay down to rest at last. Rolling onto her side to face her companion, You saw Riko looking back at her. "Goodnight Riko-chan." "Goodnight You-chan. Truly, thank you for everything, I had so much fun." A final, weary smile grew on You's face as she gave a very tired salute. Laughing at the adorable gesture, Riko returned a smile and flipped to her other side. Leaving it to their future selves to think about the embarrassment of being so close and sharing a blanket, the two drifted off into peaceful sleeps.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The following morning was cold and bright. The cabin-like room where Riko and You were sleeping was peacefully quiet, the early morning rays of the sun streamed in through the windows and gave the room a beautiful reddish hue. Due to their previous late night, both of the girls slept soundly; that is, until the sound of coughing began to fill the room. It was coming from You and the commotion woke Riko as well. "Are you alright You-chan? Do you need me to get some medicine?" Riko asked concernedly, ready to get up for help should she need to. "N-no, it's fine, I think it's just somethin stuck in my throat." They were both sitting up by this point and Riko could see that You's face was paler than usual. "Still, maybe we should hold off on going outside today…" "No!" Saying this, You jumped up and did her best to seem okay. "Really, I'm good, let's get ready for a super fun day!" You smiled and gave a salute, the gesture at least temporarily dissuading Riko's worries.

After eating breakfast in the lodge (the real food didn't have the same charm as last night's sweets to Riko), the pair went and got ready for their outdoor escapades. Almost coincidentally, their gear matched the colors each girl tended to wear, with Riko getting a red set and You getting a blue (it was no coincidence, You was prepared). Though You had seemed carefree throughout their preparations, Riko was actually nervous to try skiing. While being an idol had made her better with her feet and made her more athletic, she was much more adept at working her mind and was by far not the best athlete. Putting on the skis didn't turn out to be a problem, much to Riko's surprise, but what came after was the hard part. You, and most everyone else, glided effortlessly on their skis, but Riko was struggling to maintain her balance. "Oh no, I think I'm going to f-!" Riko began to say as she suddenly rushed to meet her new friend, the ground. Acting completely out of instinct, You masterfully darted towards her descending friend and managed to grab her in a hug before she landed. "Riko-chan, are you okay?!" Opening her eyes, Riko's vision was taken up by the worried face of You, whom her arms were, unintentionally, tightly wrapped around. Her face turning the color of her gear, Riko managed to get out a nervous "Y-yes…" before standing up. The cumulative adrenaline flowing through her somehow made her able to navigate on skis, so the pair headed towards the ever infamous Bunny slope.

Riko was nervous. Very nervous. Though it was a relatively short lift to the top of the hill, the ride up seemed to take an eternity. She'd been able to push the thoughts away last night, but now, all her worries were rushing back. What if she, or worse, You, got hurt? What if she made a fool out of herself..? What if- "Riko-chan, are you sure you're alright? We don't have to do this if you don't want to, we still have the room." You brought Riko back to earth with her concerned remark, and again, she came face to face with a concerned You. "I-I'm just a little worried, that's all… first time jitters you know?" Wanting to dissuade her worries, You grabbed Riko's gloved hand and held it tight. "Don't worry, everything'll be fine! I'll be with you every step of the way." You gave a big smile and Riko could feel herself becoming calmer. However, You's smiling face actually brought up some new concerns. "Thank you You-chan, that makes me feel better, but are YOU feeling okay? Your face seems a bit pale…" You tried to laugh off the comment with some comments about it just being the weather or something, but really, she didn't feel 100%, probably not even 70%. But even though her throat was hurting, her head was throbbing, and she was getting more chills than the usual mountain cold should give, she didn't want Riko to worry and wanted her to have the best time she could. Though Riko had slight doubts about You's claim to health, she relished the moment of holding hands and focused herself for the new set of difficulties she was about to face.

Reaching the top of the lift, they managed to get off and out of the way with few problems (Riko almost fell once or twice but You was close by to steady her). Since it was the Bunny slope, the hill was not terribly intense, a simple and gentle slope down. You showed Riko the technique that she would need to use, then went down the hill. From the bottom, she turned around and shouted up, "Come on Riko-chan, you can do it!" Riko could barely make out You's smiling face from that distance, but she still felt the bit of warmth it gave off. Taking a deep breath, and repeating You's instructions in her head, she edged towards the slope and finally pushed off. The decent was… quick, much quicker than Riko thought it would be, but it was surprisingly enjoyable. When she reached the bottom, quite proud of her accomplishment, she glided over and gave You a big hug. "I did it You-chan!" "Y-yea, great j-job!" You managed to get out before a fit of coughing ensued. Riko's excitement quickly turned into concern for her partner. "You-chan, are you really okay? Do you want to go back to the lodge?" "Y-ya, I'll be fine. How about we go again, together this time?" This time with different worries, Riko rode up the lift with You. _Once we do this, I'll persuade her to go rest, she seems to be getting a bit worse_ , Riko thought, genuine concern slowly filling her. The top of the hill arrived quickly this time. You was moving quite slow but was able to get to the edge of the plateau. With Riko by her side, she wearily tried to smile as they got ready to go down. "R-ready? On three we'll go together: one, two, th…" To Riko's mortification, as You was counting down, she collapsed. Time slowed as she reached out to the falling figure of the ashen haired girl. She herself fell, a byproduct of the skis, but she somehow caught You before impact. Ignoring her own predicament, she focused all her attention on what was in her arms. "You-chan?! You-chan?!"

It was hot. Hot and _heavy_. As You regained consciousness, she was, understandably, very disoriented. She still wasn't well, that much was evident by her spinning head, but it was better than before. _Before?_ Things were still a slight blur and her memories were not fully sorted. She stayed still, eyes closed, for some time, slowly becoming more aware of her senses. She'd noticed it initially, but she felt very hot. Maybe it was just some blankets, but those blankets were... not light, and her hand felt very sweaty. Finally feeling decent, she opened her eyes for the first time. Though hazy, she could see that it was dark and vaguely recognized the roof of their room in the lodge. The next step in her investigation was to look down, and that glance was taken up by a mass of red. During her period of unconsciousness, Riko had apparently taken up residence across You's chest, and her sweaty palm was the byproduct of Riko's hand being tightly wrapped around hers, probably for some time. With a slight adjustment of her head, You could see that Riko's face was puffy and her eyes were closed. _She's sleeping…_ You thought, suddenly more aware of her movements, _She's kind of cute when she's sleeping, even if she had been crying_. Deciding that her consciousness at the moment wasn't necessary, You succumbed to her prevalent weariness and fell back asleep.

You's next round of consciousness was greeted, once again, by a warmth but this time one which was not as overbearing. Her eyes opened to a lit room, and, as she learned from shifting, the heat and light were coming from the fireplace. Riko was on the floor facing away from her, towards the fire, and hadn't yet noticed that You was awake. While You had hoped to keep it that way, so she could sleep more, a round of coughing announced her presence to the room. Turning around to confirm, with her own eyes, that You was awake, Riko quickly got up and, once again, embraced You in a huge hug. "Oh my- You-chan, are you alright? Do you need anything?" From the very short distance Riko's face was from her own, You could see that Riko's eyes were a red that gave her hair competition. _She must have cried a lot, I really made her worry huh? Stupid You-chan…_ "Y-yea, I'm good, and I mostly mean it this time. I won't be 100% for a while though…" Tears welled once again in Riko's eyes as she buried her face into You's chest. "I-I was so worried!" Knowing that this really was her fault, You gladly let Riko have that moment as she hugged her arms around the crying girl.

Eventually, Riko raised her head and dried her eyes. "Don't scare me like that again! Why didn't you say anything? If something happened to you I…" It finally came time for You to explain, a time which she knew would come. Blushing at her silly reasoning, she began. "I just wanted you to have a good time ya know? I didn't think that it'd end up that bad… I'm really sorry I made you worry Riko-chan…" Riko's mind became a swirl of emotions. Joy, sadness, a tiny bit of anger, it was all there. _She did that all for me? Why? Why would she go through so much pain just for me?_ She didn't understand the reason, but nonetheless Riko was kind of happy. When she thought about how much You did for her, she wanted to return some gratitude, but her mind thought of a slightly selfish way to do it. "It's okay You-chan. I really had so much fun, thank you for everything. And…" The moment of truth. "may I ask you for something?" "Hmm? What's up?" Hiding her face, she finally asked. "C-could you maybe just call me Riko? I know this might be sudden, but y-you've done do much for me a-and I think it's the least I could let you do…" _Why did I say it? That was so stupid! She's not going to-_ "Hehe, okay!" Riko was surprised to hear a positive response from her question, and when she looked up, You had a huge smile on her face, a smile that, much like last night, put Riko's heart into a mixture of giddiness and calm. When Riko first posed her question, You's mind ran through a hundred different things that it could be, some which were not so pure, but hearing what Riko actually wanted, she was elated. It would mean that they were getting closer, which You was thrilled by, and it just seemed… right. "But, only if you call me You too…" Now it was Riko's turn to flash a huge smile. "I'd love to!"

Fate seemed to enjoy turning the table on You as, since she'd been out for a long while, her stomach suddenly let out a mighty growl. With the events of the previous night, the two both got to enjoy a good laugh over the unexpected noise. Feeling some latent motherly instinct kick in, Riko took action. "Don't worry You-ch," she blushed slightly at her newfound permission, "You, I'll take care of you!" "I look forward to it Riko-ch, I mean Riko!" This would take some getting used to. Unfortunately, like the previous night, their room was not home to many food items. Realizing this, Riko, slightly embarrassed for not remembering, reminded You of this fact, though after she finished laughing, You said that last night's meal would be fine again. Riko gathered the ingredients and assumed a preparatory position in front of the fire. When she actually got to making the sweets by herself, she was surprised how easy it really was. _Why did You include me in it when she could have don't it herself?_ The thought that You might have just wanted Riko's company made feel a bit fuzzy inside.

While Riko had been busy preparing the food, You had continued laying down, collecting her thoughts and taking advantage of any rest she could get. Riko, once the food was finished, turned around and noticed her companion's questionable state of cognition. She was about to wake her up but stopped herself as she moved closer. Because You hadn't had a chance to clean herself up since she got back to the room (Riko had had to get the help of lodge workers to get You there), her hair was a bit of the mess, but Riko was struck by the way the fire caught it as it was splayed across her face. The fire light highlighted her face in such a beautiful way, she almost seemed to have been taken out of some artist's picture. Riko's heart began beating faster, her mind became a rush of emotions. She'd completely forgotten what she was doing before, but a sudden, "Hhhhhmmmmmmmm…" brought her back. You began stirring and stretched herself out before sitting up; Riko was very glad for the distraction. "Riko, what's up?" It was then that Riko realized she was very close to where You's face had ended up, leading to her quickly standing up. "A-ah, it's nothing! Nothing at all! The food's ready, would you like some?" A tired smile grew on You's face. "Yes please!"

Gathering a pair of sweets in her hands, Riko sat herself opposite of You on the couch. Intending to mimic You's silly demand from last night, Riko coyly chimed, "Now, close your eyes and open your mouth." Pouting slightly, You complied. Though it had only been a short amount of time, this trip had changed Riko. Her feelings, which she thought she'd keep closed, had opened up a bit and because of them she'd felt so much joy. She felt more courageous, more daring, more… everything, like she could do anything. As she was in the process of putting the sweet in You's mouth, she stopped. A crazy, utterly insane idea came to the forefront of Riko's mind. _No! I could never do that! What if she hated it? What if she never wanted to talk to me again?_ All these doubts ran through her mind, but Riko was tired of being controlled by those what if's; her newfound courage began to kick in. _Thump_. She put down the sweet and brushed the hair away from her face. _Thump thump._ She leaned in. _Thump thump thump._ At the point of no return, Riko closed her eyes and let her body takeover: she closed the last bit of distance and locked lips with You. The moment really only lasted a second, but for both of them, it felt like forever. Proud that she'd been able to follow her heart, and preparing to see You's reaction, Riko began to pull away but to her surprise, something was stopping her, nay, pulling her closer. You had definitely not expected Riko to kiss her, but the action had electrified her and filled her with joy; something which she thought she could only wish for was now reality. She now wished that they could stay like that forever, but she felt Riko begin to move away; now it was her turn to take the initiative. She threw her arms around the redhead and pulled her close, returning the kiss with more intensity than the first. Neither had any experience in romantic encounters like this, so they didn't really know what they were doing, but each understood the feelings of the other (Riko had seen some… material in manga but nothing could've prepared her for reality).

This time, the moment lasted much longer than the last, and at its end the two were silent. Both were blushing profusely and extremely happy, but neither knew what to say. The one who finally broke the silence was You. "Hey, Riko, would you… be my g-girlfriend?" This night was just full of surprises for both of them. Had Riko heard that question a week ago, she wouldn't have known at all how to react. She would have been happy of course, but she wouldn't have trusted herself to follow her heart. Now, Riko was only happy, there was little hesitation. "I would love to You." Both of them wore bright smiles and couldn't be happier. "Um, as much as I liked your surprise, could I actually have some food now? Ehehe…." You was still hungry, and with the excitement over she felt it was an appropriate time to bring that back up. They both chuckled from that and passed by the rest of the night much like the previous one. Though she had been able to push away her weariness temporarily, You was still incredibly tired, so it was not long before they got ready for sleep. Pleased with last night's strategy, they doused the fire and once again used the blankets to create ad lib futons. Initially, they were spread apart under the blankets as before, but some steel nerves still lingered in Riko. She carefully maneuvered through the mass of blankets and positioned herself behind You, dropping her arm over her. Though she couldn't see it, You smiled at the little action, and once again the two went off to meet Mr. Sandman.

The final day of their trip arrived and they were both in high spirits. Since she was feeling better, You was able to properly teach Riko skiing and even got Riko to conquer a beginner course. The day went on with many laughs and fun times, but it soon came close to their time to leave. They'd already packed everything before they left, so they got to enjoy their last few minutes on the hills. There was an outlook at the top of one of the slopes and You had insisted that they go. Since it was getting towards the end of the day, they had the spot to themselves, and what a view it was. The sunset was coming from behind the mountain and it dyed the forest in a hue of orange. Grabbing Riko's hand, You turned towards her. "Riko… thank you for showing me how you feel. I… I've felt the same way but always thought you didn't. Even when I know how I feel I don't know what to say, but I'm really happy to be with you. Ah, what am I saying, this is embarassin huh?" You began rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand. Riko smiled at the admission and dissuaded her doubts with a quick kiss, causing You to turn bright red. "I'm really happy too You, thank you for taking me on this trip, I've had so much fun." With that, the two continued holding hands and looked out across the mountain range, enjoying each other's company and the view. They knew it would be a bit awkward telling the rest of the group, but right now, neither of them could be happier.

 **The End.**


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